Man hit by car in Worcester dies

WORCESTER – A 67-year-old man hit by a car Friday evening as he was walking on Grafton Hill died of his injuries early Saturday morning, police said.

The man, who police have not identified by name pending family notifications, was hit while walking on Heywood Street near its intersection with Jones Street. He died at a local hospital at about 4 a.m. Saturday, police said.

A 63-year-old woman driving a 2007 Chevrolet Impala told police she was headed east on Heywood Street when she hit the man, striking him with the passenger side windshield post. Police have not released the driver's name. She has not been cited with any driving infractions, and the investigation is continuing, police said.

Although police have not identified the man, his neighbors said he was Robert LaFrance of Heywood Street. His apartment is not far from where he was hit.

“He was not in the crosswalk, that's the problem,” said Jonathan Gomez. “He was walking slow.”

Mr. Gomez was out on his porch having a cigarette when he saw the accident happen.

Christopher Maider, another neighbor, said it happened between about 10 and 11 p.m. and said the woman whose car struck Mr. LaFrance was once in the Coast Guard and tried to provide first aid to Mr. LaFrance, who he knew simply as Bobby.

“It was just really sad,” Mr. Maider said. He also felt sorry for the woman who struck Mr. LaFrance, who waited at the scene. Another neighbor who did not want to give her full name said the woman screamed for help.

“He was a good guy,” Rebecca Gomez, Mr. Gomez's wife, said of Mr. LaFrance. He lived alone, she said.